Package for frozen confections or the like



Dec. 31, 1940. c. w. VOGT PACKAGE FOR FROZEN CONFECTIONS OR THE LIKEOriginal Filed Feb. '7, 1936 VENTOR CM/PE/YCE W. 1 067 ATTORNEY PatentedDec. 31, 1940 2.227136 PACKAGE FOB FROZEN CONFECTIONS OB THE LIKEClarence W. Vest. Norwaik, Conn, assignor, by memo cnts, toOwens-Illinois Glass Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of OhioApplication February 1, 1936, Serial No. 62,743

- Renewed May 17, 1940 Claims.

This invention relates to packages for frozen confections or similarsubstances, and particularly to packages for individual portions ofproducts intended to be eaten.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved package, whichis inexpensive, dirtand germ-proof, and yet easily opened without theuse of any implement.

Another object of the invention is to provide a package of the characterindicated which can be completely formed, filled and sealed by machinepower rather than manually. Another ob- Ject is to provide an improvedbag or package which is sealed at the bottom and can be spread outprogressively from the top to expose its contents so that they can beconveniently'eaten directly from the container.

In the sale of ice cream there is a lar e demand for individualportionswhich the purchaser can take with him and eat on the way. Someof the ice cream for this trade is sold in pasteboard cups, but it isnecessary to use a spoon or paddle with these cups and this means thatboth hands are occupied, one holding the cup and the other the spoon.Some ice cream is sold frozen on one end of a stick, which serves as ahandle'by which the portion is held while being eaten. When the icecream begins to melt it runs down the stick or drips and becomes verydisagreeable to manage. This difllculty is only partially overcome bycoating the ice cream with chlocclate.

The most popular individual portion is the ice cream cone. These can beconveniently held in one hand while being eaten, and the cake portionprevents the ice cream from chilling the consumers hand.

Ice cream cones are likely to be unsani because the cake portion is notwrapped beiore filling, and is touched by both the salesman and 40 theconsumer before being eaten. Cones are often filled from bulk ice creamwith dippers, which are sometimes allowed to become quite unsanitary.

In making ice cream sodas, sundaes and various other fountain drinks anddishes, individual portions of ice cream are needed. In the past theseportions have usually been supplied from bulk freezers by dippers. Inaccordance with more modern practice, ice cream is supplied to the storealready cut into individual portions separated by paper wrapping. Theseportions can be unwrapped to make fountain dishes, but the portions arenot in sealed packages which can be held in the hand while the purchasereats the contents. 1

In accordance with this invention individual portions of ice cream arewrapped in sealed. germ-proof packages which can be opened at thefountain in place of dipp n out bulk ice cream,

or which can be sold to customers who want to l eat the ice cream fromthe package after leavin: the store.

Another object of the invention is to provide a substantiallycylindrical package, of thin, flexible, liquid-proof material,constructed at its ends so as to permit the package to flt close againstsimilar packages in a shipp container, and strengthened by a strip ofstiifer material attached to the liquid-proof material.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved pliofilmpackage with novel features of construction which make it easy to open,suitable as a container from which to eat a comestible, and ofadvantageous shape for packing in a shipping container with othersimilar packages.

Although theinvention is primarily intended for ice cream, it will beunderstood that it can be used with other foods, and the package can beused for material which is not to be eaten. This application is acontinuation in part of my copending application Serial No. 51,791, nledNovember 27, 1935.

7 Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appearorbe pointed out as the specification proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof: 1

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a folded package blank from which thepackages of this invention can be made.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a folded package blank from which thepackages of the present invention are iormed.

' Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are front, side. and bottom views, respectively, of apackage made in accordance with this invention. 7 I

Fig. 6 is a top view of the package of Figs. 3-5, partly broken open.-

- Fig. '7 is anenlarged, fragmentary, sectional. view of the packageshown in Figs. 34, but with 48 different contents.

Fig. 8 is a reduced perspective view showing the manner in which thepackage is held and peeled back from the top to expose the contents.

The packages are preferably made-from a single strip H of thin flexiblematerial to which a flexible backing strip it, which is heavier andstiffer than the material ,H, is afiixed along one edge by heat-seaiin8or by an adhesive II, as shown in Fig. 1. a portion of the package,therefore, is of laminated construction.

The backin strip I2 covers the opposed edges of the folded strip II, andthe width of the backing strip I2 is preferably less than that of thefolded strip II so that the latter is not folded when the assembly iscurved into tubular form.

The flexible material from which the strip It is formed is a productsold under the trade-mark pliofllm. This product is thin, flexible,moisture-proof, and transparent, and believed to be composed essentiallyof a rubberoid material, and probably a form of chlorinated rubber.Pliofllm possesses the characteristics of being readily sealed, fused orwelded at a temperature of ap proximately C. Such fusing causes asubstantial reduction in the tensile strength and in the resistance tostretching at the point of fusing.

The strip I2 is preferably paper of "sulphite or tag stock, strongenough to reinforce the pliofilm strip II where it is sealed whenclosing the packages, and stiff enough to give the packages asubstantial amount of rigidity so that they will stand up in a containereven though the ice cream or other contents are soft and plastic.

The strip I2 protects the pliofilm from direct contact with the heatinginstrumentalities by which the packages are sealed. When the tube isformed, as shown in Fig. 2, the free edge of the strip I2 extends outfrom the tube and forms a tab I4 by which the package when formed can betorn open and spread out progressively to expose the contents thereof.

The tabs serve as convenient handles by which the packages may be heldwhile the ice cream in the packages is consumed. The paper of the stripI2 provides enough insulation between the ice cream and the consumershand so that the individual packages can be held without discomfort, inthe manner illustrated in Fig. 8.

The strip I2 is preferably paper, but I may employ any other suitablesheet material which may be transparent, opaque, or translucent, andwhich will not be melted or iniuriously affected by the application ofsuilicient heat and pressure to seal together superposed layers of thepliofllm.

The enwrapment shown in Fig. 1 may be smoothly wound on a reel byputting the strip I 2 on the side toward the center of the reel. Whenwound in this manner the pliofilm stretches enough to compensate for theslight difference in diameter of each convolution of paper and itsattached convolution of pliofllm.

When the assembled strips II and I2 are formed into a tube, such asshown in Fig. 2, the

edges of the pliofilm strip II extend over one another to form a lapseam I6, and the strip I2 may be sealed coextensively to the pliofilmbeyond this seam or secured by spot seals I1. Thus it will be seen thatthe ice cream in the packages when formed is entirely enclosed bythe'pliofilm strip II and does not come in contact with the paper stripI2. If desired, the lap seam [l6 may be dispensed with and the opposededges of the pliofilm strip II will be bridged by the paper strip I2.

The seals I I add greatly to the strength of the packages while at thesame time providing longitudinal sealing which can be convenientlybroken by pulling the tab I4. The tube may be formed without anylongitudinal sealing, how

ever, when the reduced strength of the packages is not objectionable.

A continuous length of the formed tube, shown in Fig. 2, is made intopackages by flattening or pinching the tube to close it at spaced pointsto form separate compartments in the tube between the flattenedportions. The individual packages thus formed may then be severedfromeach other, along a line 23.

The packages can be made and the closed portions sealed on the machinedisclosed in my copending application Serial No. 51,791, flled November27, 1935, of which this case is a continuation in part, or by otherforming and sealing means.

Ice cream 29 is inserted into the tubular enwrapment after eachsuccessive cross-sealing or pinching operation, and the next seal ispref= erably made at a sufl'lcient distance above the level of the icecream so that the inside volume of the package is somewhat greater thanthat of its contents. This leaves an air space 22 (Fig. 4) above the icecream so that it can expand after packaging without tending to burst thepackage.

The pliofilm is tucked in on both sides of the flattened ends of thepackages to prevent the endsfrom being substantially wider than thecylindrical or body portion of the package. This construction permitsthe packages to fit close together in a shipping container. The tucks 26at the lower and upper ends of the package are shown clearly in Figs. 5and 6, respectively. The upper end of the package is shown partly brokenopen.

The pliofilm is heat-sealed across the full width of the blank justabove the line 24 (Figs. 3 and 4) to Weld the layers of pliofilmtogether and seal the paper strip I2 to the pliofllm. This forms aliquid-tight seal 28 across the bottom of each package so that liquidcan not drip through the lower end of the package if the ice cream meltswhile being held in the manner shown in Fig. 8.

Below the line 24 the pliofilm is held by a seal 30 extending for only ashort distance along the center of the' top of the package. The upperend of the package can be pulled open to the extent shown in Fig. 6without breaking the seal 30, and when in this condition the purchaserhas a flrm grip on the paper portion of the package and can easily breakthe seal 30.

The top of the package may, however be sealed across a greater or lessportion of its width, or

even across its entire width, but it is a feature of the invention thatthe seal at the top of the package is one that can be easily broken byhand and without using a knife or other implement.

Fig. 7 shows a package similar to that shown in Figs. 3-6, but withdifferent contents. A preformed, form-retaining comestible comprising afiller 32 covered by a chocolate coating 33 is shown in the package inFig. 7. This pre-formed comestible may be square or rectangular incrosssection, and does not have a snug fit in the package as does theice cream 20.

The special advantages of the package as a container for individualportions of ice cream have been pointed out, but it is a convenient,inexpensive, and attractive germ-proof package for other productsbesides ice cream. It will be apparent that the package is not limitedto the particular embodiment which has been illustrated and described.

,I claim:

1. A package comprising a thin, flexible, chlorinated rubber bagwelded'at both ends, and a paper strip extending from one end of the bagto the other and welded to the outside surface of the rubber materialover a portion of the width of said strip to give some rigidity to thepackage, said strip having an unattached edge forming a tab whichextends along the length of the package and serves as a handle for thepa kage.

2. A package comprising a tubular, thin, flexible, chlorinated rubberstrip similarly welded at both ends substantially to close the ends ofthe package, and a paper strip extending from one end of the package tothe other, said strip being of a stock stiffer than the'rubber materialand being welded thereto over a substantial area of the rubber materialto give the package more rigidity so that it tends to maintain its form.

3. A substantially cylindrical package for an individual portion of icecream comprising a strip of thin, flexible, liquid-proof chlorinatedrubber material shaped to give it the cylindrical form of the packageand welded at both ends to close the ends of the package, a strip ofstifler material covering a portion oi! the circumference of the packageand extending lengthwise oi. said package. the latter strip being weldedto said liquidproof material with the weld extending lengthwise of thepackage to increase the stiffness of the package, there being tucks atboth ends of the tubular strip at the said end welds, said tucksreducing the width of the package at the ends thereof.

4. An ice cream package comprising a thin, flexible, chlorinated rubberbag adapted to contain ice cream and having a welded seal at the bottomand having a manually partible seam extending from top to bottom, saidseam being adapted to be opened progressively from the top to the bottomthereof to progressively expose the ice cream for consumption, and aninsulating paper sheet welded to and covering a part of the outside ofthe bag, said sheet having a free edge portion forming a holding tab bymeans of which the package can be manually held by the consumer, saidpaper sheet serving to protect the rubber bag from contact with the handof the consumer.

CLARENCE W. VOGT.

